Building over a sewer

If you're planning any type of development, building something new or extending an existing building, you should check there’s nothing underground that could be affected i.e. water or wastewater pipes. Our property searches team can supply maps which show the location of our assets.

If you want to build over or close to one of our public sewers or lateral drains (this usually means within 3 metres), you need our approval, even if they are located on your land. We have to make sure that all of our pipes are protected from any potential damage that development may cause so that they can continue to provide the service they're designed for. It's also really important that we can access our pipes for maintenance and repair.

If you need to contact us directly about your plans, please complete our ‘Building over enquiry form’ which is available as a PDF or an editable word document.